This invention relates generally to inspection means for a particular type lamp installation and, more particularly, to a portable inspection device enabling a user to distinguish between the different ballast means now being employed to operate gaseous discharge lamps.
Gaseous discharge lamps require an auxiliary voltage-current control means commonly termed a ballast as a necessary part of lamp operation. Various types of such lamps including mercury discharge lamps, fluorescent lamps and sodium vapor lamps all employ such ballast means to interface between the alternating current supply and the particular lamp with such ballast means starting and stabilizing the lamp operation as well as controlling lamp wattage as the line voltage varies. Fluorescent lamp ballasts and other type ballasts are known with individual ballast means operating two or more lamps. Various magnetic ballasts initially employed for such lamp operation experience a significant power loss often exceeding 10-20 percent which has caused their replacement with low power loss electronic ballasts to some degree. Such electronic ballasts employing semiconductor devices are thereby becoming more common place since they have generally further proved lighter in weight and smaller in size than a magnetic counterpart for the same lamp.
Recognizing the greater energy efficiency being realized with electronic ballast operation, electric utility companies are beginning to offer financial incentives to lamp installations using the electronic ballast. It thereby becomes desirable to provide an efficient and effective means whereby such lamp installations can be inspected to determine the proportion of electronic ballasts in a particular lamp installation. In doing so, a portable inspection device enabling such inspection to be carried out from a convenient remote location not requiring electrical connection to the lamp ballast would be further desirable. A known inspection device meeting these objectives and called a "Light Listener" transforms the pulsating or flickering light produced during lamp operation into sound that can be heard by the inspector. Said prior art device employs a phototransistor as the sensor means which is operatively associated with solid state circuit means connected to the microphone input of a battery powered audio amplifier. Simply pointing this listening device at an operating fluorescent lamp installation, for example, is said to produce an audible buzzing sound. Since the utility of such device necessarily depends upon the hearing ability of a human listener, however, it remains desirable to provide a still more effective means of distinguishing between magnetic and electronic ballast means. Said prior art device is believed further unable to distinguish between different types of fluorescent lamps.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a device enabling identification of the type ballast means for a gaseous discharge lamp by visually discernable means.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such detection with optoelectronic circuit means employing lamp devices as the means for indication.
Still another object of the present invention is to include further lamp means in the device serving to indicate when light is being received at an identifiable intensity level.
These and still further objects of the present invention will become more apparent upon considering the following detailed description of the present invention.